News

Electronic Tickets Options Boost PITT ARTS’ Cheap Seats Sales to over 13,650 during 2008-2009 academic year.

April 27, 2009 - PITT ARTS at the University of Pittsburgh has reached and exceeded a significant new milestone with over 13,650 Cheap Seats tickets sold out of the 929 William Pitt Union Office or on-line during the 2008-2009 academic year.  “On-line ticket-buying with five of the eleven Cheap Seats arts partners has played a key role in this success,” says Annabelle Clippinger, Director of PITT ARTS.

In 2006, the Pittsburgh Opera was the first to develop a website that Pitt constituents can visit and pay the exact same amount for a Cheap Seats ticket that they would pay by coming into PITT ARTS office. This enables Pitt students, faculty and staff to buy their tickets for an opera at any hour of day or night via this special link, and get them much cheaper than if they went directly to the organization’s website.

Soon after, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra got on board and witnessed the kind of results that the Pittsburgh Opera experienced the first year: a 21% boost over walk-in only traffic from the year before by having an easy to use link for the Pitt community. The range of offerings at Heinz Hall includes the BNY Mellon Grand Classics series of classical masterworks, and musicals, such as Spring Awakening.

In the past year, the Pittsburgh Public Theater joined the ranks, but using the Tessitura ticketing system, they required a link and a promotional code to charge the same deeply discounted rates that Pitt community pays in the PITT ARTS office.  Pitt people don’t find a barrier to using it to purchase tickets to see plays like the well-reviewed A Moon for the Misbegotten.

Just this month the Pittsburgh CLO and CLO Cabaret came on board using a link and promotional code as well, offering some of the most sought-after events in the city, such as CLO’s Legally Blond The Musical, Les Miserables, and Into the Woods and in the CLO Cabaret, 8-TRACK, The Sounds of the 70’s.

In order to take advantage of on-line shopping for greatly discounted tickets to excellent performances, visit www.pittarts.pitt.edu and click on the tickets button. Look for the links to the on-line buying underneath the descriptions on the Cheap Seats page.

"The same procedure applies as to purchasing in the office,” Clippinger says. “All you need to do is pick up your tickets under your name at the Will Call box office window at the performance venue.  And just like we tell people who come into the PITT ARTS office, be prepared to show your valid Oakland campus Pitt ID when you pick up the tickets.”

About PITT ARTS

PITT ARTS has been connecting University of Pittsburgh main campus students to the cultural life of Pittsburgh since it was founded in 1997.  Funded by the Provost's Office here at the University, the program sponsors over 110 free student outings for Pitt undergraduates each year, engaging 35,000 students, including repeaters. PITT ARTS also provides on-campus art experiences as well as discounted cultural opportunities for staff, faculty, undergraduate and graduate students.